Exquisite by Ella Frank

January 20, 2013

From goodreads:

Her heart was guarded…

Tormented by self-imposed guilt, Dr. Lena O’Donnell has spent the last nine years in survival mode. Struggling through days that seem to blend together and battling her way through each horrifying night, she’s determined that this is what she deserves…

Until he tore down the walls…

Mason Langley’s life is going exactly the way he planned it, until her. A confirmed bachelor and the successful owner of the hottest restaurant to hit Chicago, he never expects to be blindsided by an angry woman in a pair of scrubs. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to shake the doctor, and he finds himself liking the way she makes him feel.

Almost over night Lena finds her world turned upside down by Mason and the sexual desire they discover together. Slowly, she lowers her guard and invites him inside but when tragedy strikes she begins to believe that sometimes it’s better to be alone and safe than to love and lose.

Exquisite is a fun and sexy read. Does it have the element of surprise, not really but sometimes you just need a book that’s steamy, has a good amount of push and pull and a pinch of angst. Exquisite is all those things.

Lena’s inner struggle to bring her walls down and her guilt are totally gut-wrenching because of the loss in her life. But it’s even more painful to see her constantly push away a man who wants nothing more than to make her happy. Truth be told, I wanted to slap her on numerous occasions but I understood the “why” behind her actions.

“Why on earth had I agreed to this? Oh, that’s right. He suckered me into it with his manipulating words and those damn dimples.”

Mason, Lena’s love interest, is completely dedicated to his family and he’s determined to get Lena to trust and ultimately love him. However, that’s not as easy as he thinks because she’s one prickly and stubborn individual.

When you first meet these two, you automatically think…there’s absolutely no way that they will work out as a couple. But then the attraction is revealed and the push and pull begins.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I did think the intimate moments seemed a little forced as well as the dialogue. It should have flowed more easily without hiccups along the way to make it distracting.

Exquisite did the dance between the 3 and 4 star rating. While the scene with Mason’s mom and the letter was a 4 star moment, the hiccups brought it to an overall 3 star rating.

My final two cents: A fun and light read to help you escape after a long day!